A comprehensive analysis by the Henry Jackson Society, a British research institute, has revealed systematic manipulation of Gaza war casualty figures by Hamas authorities, including miscategorization of deaths and deliberate inflation of civilian casualties, The Telegraph reported Saturday.
The analysis found that the data includes misrepresentations of casualties, with natural deaths being counted among war casualties, and systematic misclassification of combatants' status, age, and gender to amplify civilian death counts.
The report scrutinizes the Health Ministry's claim of over 44,000 deaths since the outbreak of war following the October 7 attacks. While Israeli and American intelligence sources indicate approximately 17,000 of these casualties were Hamas operatives, the report notes this crucial distinction is largely absent from international media coverage.
Researchers identified significant anomalies in the data, including approximately 5,000 natural deaths, such as cancer fatalities, being included in the war casualty figures.
The investigation uncovered instances of deliberate misrepresentation, where male casualties were recorded as female, and adults were classified as children, with ages being systematically altered to inflate the reported number of young casualties.
The report's authors conclude that these inflated statistics are being weaponized to promote a narrative of indiscriminate IDF targeting of civilians, while obscuring the significant proportion of terrorist casualties.
The analysis criticizes major international media outlets, including the BBC, The New York Times, and CNN, for publishing the Health Ministry's figures without independent verification.
Palestinian officials strongly contested the findings. Dr. Husam Zomlot, who heads the Palestinian Mission to the UK, dismissed the report as "immoral and unprofessional," asserting that the casualty figures have been validated by the UN and other international organizations. He emphasized that the death toll continues to rise due to victims still trapped under rubble and ongoing deaths from malnutrition and healthcare system breakdown.
